1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to an assembly to stabilize individuals while seated in a wheelchair or other support structure, such that a user's body is safely maintained in an operative position necessary to correctly and safely perform a variety of exercises, sporting or other physical activities.
2. Description of the Related Art
In today's fast paced society, exercise has become an increasingly important part of many individuals' lives. It is well established that a regular exercise program in addition to a proper diet serve to increase the ones overall health and facilitate the ability to follow an active, full rounded lifestyle. In an effort to take advantage of a significant part of the population being involved in regular exercise programs, industries involved with exercise apparatus and devices have made available a plurality of different exercise machines, apparatus, procedures, programs etc. to aid the average individual in accomplishing a full range of exercise in order to benefit the entire body.
Clearly, the vast majority of known, commercially available exercise machines and like assemblies are designed, structured and configured for the average, active individual who has full use of his or her body. However, fairly recently it has been recognized that physically restricted individuals, including the elderly as well as invalids and/or the physically challenged, also significantly benefit from a regular exercise program. Exercise programs for such restricted individuals have been modified to suit specialized needs due in part to the fact that both the active and relatively inactive portions of an individual's body benefit from regular exercise. Similarly, individuals who have reached an advanced age may have lost partial or efficient use of certain parts of the body such as the joints associated with the legs, hips, arms, etc. It has also been determined that elderly individuals of the type described also significantly benefit from a continued and appropriate exercise program which serves to increase the range of motion of the various parts of the individual's body as well as improving ones overall fitness profile.
However, for invalids, the elderly and other select groups of individuals, it is necessary or more comfortable to perform at least some of the individual exercises of a predetermined exercise program while being seated. In the case of certain traumatically injured or otherwise restricted individuals, it may be necessary to perform the intended exercise program from a wheelchair or other support structure. As such, the individual is capable of a certain degree of mobility and independence while being able to maintain a comfortable, seated and safe orientation.
In order to facilitate the performance of exercise by individuals while in a seated position, wheelchairs and like support structures, as well as the exercise assemblies and/or apparatus have been customized by including certain structural modifications not typically found in corresponding exercise apparatus used by individuals having a full and unfettered range of motion of their body parts. By way of example, modified exercise bicycles or a similar category of structures, are known and commercially available wherein both active and inactive parts of a user's body may be exercised. Similarly, treadmill like structures are available which have been structurally modified to adapt the use thereof to individuals having a restricted field of motion of at least certain body parts. Similarly, some treadmill-like roller arrangements are specifically designed and structured to be used in combination with wheelchairs and include a specialized wheelchair support disposed above or in a predetermined orientation relative to the supporting frame of the treadmill. In addition, certain wheelchairs have been modified from a substantially conventional structural configuration which enables their use with various types of customized or conventional exercise apparatus.
Accordingly, while structural and operational modifications, of the type generally set forth above, are assumed to be at least partially suited for their intended function, the majority of such structural modifications must be adaptive with other known or specialized exercise assemblies in order for an exercise program to be performed. Clearly, customization of the type referred to is expensive, not widely available in the market place and oftentimes involves a restriction of the normal function or performance of wheelchairs or like support structures as originally intended.
Therefore, there is a significant and long established need in this area for an assembly which facilitates the stabilization of an individual while performing exercise in a seated position. Further, such an assembly, if developed, should overcome the problems and deficiencies of equipment presently available, such as generally set forth above. Most preferably, a stabilization assembly of the type referred to should allow a physically restricted individual to perform a variety of different exercises as well as other selected sporting and physical activities. Concurrently, the proposed stabilizing assembly should be structured to assure that the user's body is properly oriented and that the individual will be safely and securely maintained on the wheelchair or other support assembly during the performance of the exercise or sporting activity.
While the proposed stabilization assembly of the present invention is specifically associated with the performing of body building exercise, it is emphasized that is also structured to facilitate performance of various types of sports activities as well as other physical activities, which may not be typically classified as exercise of the type practiced on exercise equipment. More specifically, the proposed stabilizing assembly of the present invention is intended for use by individuals while practicing other primarily upper body activities such as, but not limited to, golfing, fishing, javelin throwing, archery, rowing, riflery or shooting, shot put throwing and various movements involving the use of a punching bag. Accordingly, a variety of different sporting or related physical activities may be better practiced while the individual is in a seated position on a wheelchair or other support structure utilizing one or a plurality of different embodiments of the proposed stabilizing assembly.
Accordingly, when a physically restricted individual is desirous of performing an exercise routine or a variety of different sporting activities, substantially conventional and commercially available exercise assemblies and/or sporting equipment may be used. As a result, disadvantages including cost, availability and safety associated with the use of exercising and sporting equipment which are customized for physically restricted individuals may be avoided. Also, the various structural and operative components of a preferred stabilizing assembly should be easy to use, install and assemble, thereby allowing the restricted individual to perform intended and appropriate exercise programs in a manner which does not significantly depend on others. In addition, a preferred assembly of the type used to stabilize seated individuals while exercising, etc. should be comfortable and comprise a structural integrity which would render the assembly continuously useable over an extended operable life.
Finally, a proposed and preferred stabilizing assembly should also provide a significant degree of safety to a physically restricted individual, wherein such safety assures the individual that he or she will not be inadvertently dislodged from the wheelchair or support structure. In addition to possible injury resulting from the individual falling from the support structure, the individual should be secure in the belief that he or she will be able to maintain proper position and orientation and not be subject to embarrassment or require reliance on others during the performance of the exercise or sporting activity. It is also known that some individuals having spinal cord injuries suffer from an occasional attack of spasms. The severity of such spasms may be such as to facilitate the individual falling from the wheelchair or other support structure. Accordingly, an adequate “safety factor” incorporated in the proposed stabilizing assembly allow the physically challenged individual to have a significant degree of self-confidence, independence and self-reliance thereby further enhancing the self-esteem of the individual, not only while performing the selected exercise or sporting activity but in other aspects of the individual's life.